Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Rio has a new home! Actually, it is her first home. We got her when she was about 2 months old in the bitter month of January. We kept her in the garage with lots of blankets and stuffed animals to keep her cozy and warm. Then when it warmed up and she got older, she was out of the garage and on her own, finding a spot to sleep where ever she could. But every dog needs a dog house.

Neal has been drawing up a few plans and when Clark was here for a few weeks, he decided building a doghouse was a good idea too. This is what they came up with. To me it looks like a dog house that would work in Whooville. Mark thinks it looks like the tweety bird house.

The reason why the dog house is up off the ground is because there is insulation under the flooring for our long, cold winters. Rio will be nice and cozy when it is well below freezing.

Ah, cedar shingles. I'd say that Rio has a pretty sweet home to rest her weary body in at the end of a long playful day at the creek!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Look who is in town. Spencer, Rose, and their kids. Can you believe it? Rose is from BC and her sister was sealed in the Cardston Temple this morning with a reception in Waterton. The reception was in the Community Hall next to a church, thus the cross in the background.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

We had a great time celebrating my father's belated 80th birthday last night. Despite the forecast of thunder showers throughout the week we dodged them two nights in a row. The Bevans family shared their home and their land with us so we could celebrate in style.

He loved the cake and he is actually going to take those decorations home. I thought they were appropriate considering the landscape and his love of horses.

Group shot, except for the photographer Dixie. Joy and Denver are great people and the hardest working pair I know. It has been so few and far between for family get togethers so celebrations like this are a real treat . We did miss the rest of you though. David, Mary Ann, Jake, Sean, Kelly, Caleb, Brad and Laurel, along with Susie. See, we are missing a ton of people.

Clark and grandpa. Love this picture.

Of course we had to take advantage of the weather and the gophers. Man Dixie has a ton of gophers on her land, no lie. Our homestead/home quarter is just not happening for us this year. We shot over 100 between all of us. Mark and I were a little late, but we managed to shoot over 35 between the two of us.

Love Love Love this photo. Now this is my father! Denim jeans, a pick up truck, and the rolling hills. I am framing this!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Seabiscuit and jockey George Woolf lead War Admiral and jockey Charles Kurtsinger in the first turn at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md., in this Nov. 1, 1938, photo. (Associated Press)

A life-size bronze statue depicting legendary racehorse Seabiscuit and jockey George Woolf heading to victory in a famous 1938 match-up was unveiled in Cardston, Alta., on Saturday.

The Cardston-born jockey rode Seabiscuit to an unexpected victory at Pimlico Race Course in what was dubbed the "match of the century."

The statue captures the moment when Woolf called out to his opponent, "So long, Charley!" as Seabiscuit surged to the lead.

'I always felt George needed recognition for what he did … and that's what we hope to accomplish with this statue'— Jack LoweSeabiscuit defeated the heavily favoured War Admiral by four lengths and set a record for the Baltimore, Md., track.

"This statue captures an incredible moment of unexpected triumph in a story that many people do not realize has a strong Alberta connection," said Lindsay Blackett, minister of culture and community spirit.

The $150,000 statue was commissioned by Cardston ranchers Jack and Ida Lowe and created by Artist Don Toney. It is being donated to the province of Alberta.

"When I was a kid growing up in the 1930s, George and Seabiscuit were household names," said Jack Lowe, the statue's co-donor.

"I always felt George needed recognition for what he did — to come from nothing and achieve so much — and that's what we hope to accomplish with this statue. The bronze is a beautiful piece of work and I think people are going to be in awe when they see it."

The statue will stand outside the provincially owned Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston, which houses the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in North America.

It was unveiled July 17, on what would have been George Woolf's 100th birthday.

My father is visiting for a few days so we decided to attend the unveiling. It was a little lengthy with the dignitaries speaking, but we were glad we did. The weather was really nice, which always, always helps here.

The man on the right is the first cousin of George Woolf. BTW, my sister in law (Grants wife) is related as her maiden name was Woolf. The fellow in the middle is Jack Lowe, the man who had a vision.

I like the way the jockeys have their hats raised towards the statue.

They played a live audio of the last two laps of this famous race, which was pretty neat. It was a nice day, something different, and now we need to rent the video and watch the story again.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Boy do we love the creek. We have been going to this particular part of the creek for years and years. It is a big part of our summertime fun.

We have had so much rain this year so our first outing was just this week. And because there has been so much rain strange things have been unearthed by all the rushing water. A cow tooth, a rib, some cool rocks and some kind of a horn. You rarely find this much variety.

On the way to the creek, Michelle informed us that the creek is her favorite spot on the face of the earth. And I have a confession to make.......After 4 years of living here I can firmly say that I think the mountains are more beautiful than the ocean. There. I said it.

Rio LOVED the creek too. She was apprehensive at first but then it wasn't long before she was playing in the water. We were afraid she would chase the cattle nearby but she stayed right by us so I think she will be a regular at the creek as well.